Refrigerating process



Patented Dec. '26 1' 1 922.

cum-: STATES PATENT I orrlcli,

.ALBERT .G. CRAWFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HALLECK W. SEAMAN,

' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. I

nnrmennn'rnvs rnoonss.

I lie Drawing. Application filed May 27, i918,

To'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. CRAW- rom),-a citizen of the United States, and .a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county 5 of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Refrigerating Process; and I do hereby deolare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description of the same.

ularly to a refrigerant and the process of using same whereby it is adapted for com-' mercial use in ice making, in cold storage .plants or for general refrigeration pur poses.

The refrigerants now commonly used, such as ammonia gas, for example, are objectionable for the reason that they are not only poisonous and corrosive to. the pipes and receptacles in which they'are used, but they as well as carbon dioxide also require a high pressure and consequently a heavy installation in order to condense them into the liquid state. v

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a medium which may be utilized for carrying on the process of refrigeration or ice making and which not only requires a lower pressure and consequently a' lighter and less expensive installation to utilize the same, but which is also unaccompanied with the danger of poisoning and does not have the corrosive action on the apparatus of the refrigerants here- 5 tofore used.

I have found that propane of the formula C 11 having a boiling point of C.," gives excellentresults as a refrigerant. It

Is easily liquefiable under cold or pressure 40 and does not decomposejafter being used for a long time in a refrigerating machine, and my experiments show that very low temperatures can be obtained by using this material as a refrigerant. 5

as the refrigerant is carried out by using thisrefrigerant in a manner similar to that in which refi-igerants have been I SQd here- My invention has reference more partic The refrigerating process using propane Serial no. eaesra Renewed March 18, 1922. Serial No. 544,972.

tofore, except that it requires less pressure to condense and 1i uefy than some of the refrigerants hereto ore employed, a lighter installation may be used and it is unneces-- sary to provide precautions against corro-- sion and poisonous gas as with refrigerants heretofore employe 4 The propane is introduced into a circulating system consisting of a compressor which applies pressure to the gas and reduces it to a liquid form, and the liquid, after being suitably cooled to dissipate the heat of compression, is led to and allowed to evaporate in proximity to the material or compartment which is to be cooled, and as the evaporation takes place heat is absorbed thereby and a reduction in temperature takes place around'the point at which the evaporation. takes place. The gas resulting from the evaporation is, then led back to the compressor andagain liquefied b 7 pressure and a continuous circulation 70 tii ereof is thereby maintained, the propane being alternately compressed and liquefied and then expanded so as to continuously absorb heat and maintain the desired low temperature. v

.I claim as my invention:

1. A refrigerating process including compressure thereon to extract heat from .adja- 80 cent materials.

2. A refrigeration process includingcom- ,pressing' a non-acid gas having a hydrocarbon content consisting "substantially wholly of propane to liquefy the propane, and evaporating the liquidby relieving the pressure thereon to extract heat from adj acent materials.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto subscribed my name in the presence of, two so subscribing Witnesses.

ALBERT e. CRAWFORD.

Witnesses:

LAWRENCE REIBs'rEIN, FRANK R. BREMER, Jr. 

